The title of the podcast refers to Cesar's favorite row in the cinema: from the fifth row ('op de vijfde rij') you are close to the action, but you also have an overview of what is happening around you. Op de vijfde rij... is therefore not about the latest film news, but about (largely) timeless stories. Contemplative, investigative and surprising.
In episodes of 20 to 30 minutes, Cesar tells one or two special film stories, from the genesis of a classic and the oeuvre of a maker to the essence of a film festival. He starts each episode with a question and searches for an answer through interviews, reports and archive fragments. This way he takes you to the place where it happens, like the heart of the film market in Cannes. He makes a series of 1 to 4 episodes 3 to 4 times a year.
Op de vijfde rij...
In the podcast series Op de vijfde rij... (From the Fifth Row...), journalist Cesar Majorana tells beautiful and special stories of film from the past and present. The podcast is a collaboration between VPRO Cinema and Eye Filmmuseum.
All series
Op de vijfde rij...
...live at Zusje
To celebrate one of the most special Dutch debut films, Cesar spoke with director Robert Jan Westdijk and producer Clea de Koning at the celebratory screening at Eye Filmmuseum.
...live from Cannes (2025)
In this special edition, recorded during the Cannes Film Festival, Cesar Majorana and his guests discuss the biggest hypes of the festival and more.
...and the AI revolution
How will AI radically change the film world? Many are currently wondering, but it is not a fever dream of a distant future. In this four-part series, Cesar investigates.
...and the secret of iconic soundtracks
The stories behind iconic soundtracks rarely get the attention they deserve. That is why the podcast zooms in on film music in a new triptych of episodes.
...live from Cannes (2024)
What is it like to make your debut at the biggest film festival in the world? Cesar Majorana receives talented Dutch and Flemish filmmakers live during this special episode.
...at the Septimius Awards
After a triptych about scam film festivals, the podcast received numerous messages about a Dutch awards gala that has been organized 2022. Is it a kosher awards show?
...in the magical cinema
What is the magic of the cinema? A room where you look at a flat screen with strange bodies around you... And why are people climbing the barricades to stop a cinema from closing?
...at the Dutch film archives
What has become of De Fantasten, three young filmmakers who wrote a manifesto in 1999 to end the 'dictatorship of realism' in Dutch cinema?
...in the world of scam festivals
The shady world of scam festivals: film festivals that don't really exist, and are only out to extort as much money as possible from unsuspecting filmmakers.
...in Cannes (2022)
How do you grab the spotlight at the largest film festival in the world? How do you, as a young Dutch filmmaker, make your dreams come true, in the midst of gigantic competition?
...at De Fantasten
What has become of De Fantasten, three young filmmakers who wrote a manifesto in 1999 to end the 'dictatorship of realism' in Dutch cinema?
...at Die Hard
Cesar Majorana joins the discussion about action classic Die Hard: is it a Christmas film or not? And why is that even important?
...in Cannes (2021)
The largest and most important film festival on earth. For film lovers who have never been to Cannes, but who are very curious about how it works.
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The creators
The podcast Op de vijfde rij... is a collaboration between VPRO Cinema and Eye Filmmuseum.
Presenter/interviewer
Cesar Majorana
Researcher
Jelle Schot
Editor
Frithjof Kalf
Researchers Eye Filmmuseum
Ronald Simons and Anna Meijer
Music
Julius Jongsma
Artwork
Aafke Bouman
Producer
Joyce Feijen
Client
Tibor Dekker (VPRO Cinema), Mila Schlingemann and Lisette Ruijtenberg (Eye Filmmuseum)
A collaboration of
